Great little spot for a great smash burger. It was delicious and more than enough, I think it was called the 409 Classic. Onion rings were delicious too. The decor was quintessential Montana. We sat by the fireplace which was warm and cozy. Service was excellent. Our server was great. We ordered huckleberry cheesecake to go and it was so good we had to close the lid to stop eating it all...we were already stuffed. Definitely recommend. read more

See all

Really cool restaurant right in the middle of downtown Darby, and it's also connected to the 406 Saloon. There's a middle area that has outdoor seating but a roof overhead which is where we sat and was perfect. We were told they recently vamped up their menu. Food was super good. I got the coconut shrimp with a side of white rice, my husband did the chicken strips & fries, and my stepdaughter did the mac & cheese. For dessert, we all did the chocolate lava cake. Everything was yummy and our waitress was nice. However it is pricey, our total meal was $77. My meal cost $28 basically, I thought the side of rice came with the entree because on the menu "a choice of a side" but it was added as an extra. read more

See all

This has become a regular stop a couple of times each year, traveling from out-of-state to & from our family home in Hungry Horse. Staff are friendly and quick. Everything on the menu that we've tried is delish, and the overall vibe is laid back and comfortable. Love this place, and highly recommend! read more

Great place and great people. If you are in the area it's a must stop. Great smash burger. read more

Big Cat Cafe - Smash burger was even better than it looked. - Bars Near Me - Darby, Montana

Lunch stop going north on Hwy 93. Big Cat Cafe turned out to be a very nice surprise. So warm and toasty with a fire burning. Great service. Great food. read more

See all

This is our go to restaurant. Great food and love the atmosphere. The staff is amazing as well!

Went to big cat after not going for probably 2 years and I was pleasantly surprised at the turn around they have made. The food was excellent (smash burger was awesome) and the waitress was VERy attentive. The back yard looks absolutely amazing! Good job job big cat you definitely turned it around from 2 years ago. read more

Casual place with a pretty standard American menu. Burgers were spot-on while the BLT was fantastic. Could easily serve two people. Sides were standard, sweet potato fries, French fries, onion rings, all cooked well. Nicole was our server and she was a real sweetheart providing extras of sauce, on top of the drink refills, and anything else we needed. Worth stopping if you are going through Darby and looking for a bite to eat. read more

Good food and good service! The atmosphere is awesome! Games in the yard for us, horseshoe and corn hole. read more

Big Cat Cafe - Patio dining - Bars Near Me - Darby, Montana

So I found this place road tripping in Montana when I cake through a cool little town. This place is super lovely and has a cool story. From one of the waitresses I found out this use to be a local saloon and another little bar/casino. So what they did was keep the rad saloon and removed the bar portion of the bar/casino to make an absolutely beautiful dining area and converted the casino portion the the lobby. It's all connected and done in a beautiful way. Really well done how they have kept the old rustic vibe of Montana yet wove in this new and modern beautiful addition. It just opened a month or so ago with all the changes apparently. It's an impressing place. Side note: there is horse shoe competition out in the outside portion of this place every Sunday at 3:00. What a cool thing. - Food: The waitress suggested a burger so I followed her call. The burger was super good and super fresh. Loved the burger. I was only able to eat halftime was so big. - Service: The service was wonderful and super nice and was constantly checking on me even though the place was pretty full. - Drinks: I just got one drink but man it was STRONG. So well done bartender/waitress. - Value: Great value. My massive burger with salad was only $10.75. My drinks were super cheap as well which is what you'd expect from a place like this. The total for the meal with a massive burger and two drinks was $19.00. That's some great value. - Location: The location is in a beautiful little town in the mountains and it the decor is just on point Overall, I'm really glad I was able to experience this place and suggest anyone in the area to do the same. Just a really lovely experiment. read more

See all

Nice place, open outdoor dining area. Service was very good, food was not so much. Fish sandwich was frozen cod fillets with onions, pickles lettuce and tomato, the bun was so tough I couldn't eat it and the coleslaw had a hair in it Grilled cheese sandwich with mac & cheese were ok, nothing to brag about. Onion rings were good and fresh. Overall I think we'll pass on by next time. read more

I'm giving this place a solid five stars for having extremely friendly service and good down to earth food. I was staying nearby, and admittedly there isn't much around here save for a few ranches, including the "Dutton Yellowstone Ranch" however the town of Darby was perfectly pleasant. I enjoyed some delicious loaded fries with thick cuts of bacon and queso; for a second, I thought I'd actually have a heart attack but thank goodness for ice cold beer to wash it all down. I highly recommend going with other people so you can try various things. Unfortunately the fries were soooo filling that I could hardly move after. read more

Big Cat Cafe - Bars Near Me - Darby, Montana

We stopped by for lunch at Big Cat Cafe after a short, morning hike at Lake Como. The covered outdoor patio is equipped with heat lamps and a lovely fireplace in the center, which makes for a very comfortable setting. The food was delicious! Oysters from Gulf of Mexico: These were surprisingly good! I'm usually spoiled with easy access to west coast oysters in California, but these were fresh, well-shucked, and not too briny. Tomato Soup: I think this was more of a bisque, but overall it was creamy and yummy. The Chainsaw Burger: This was our favorite. The patty was perfectly cooked, and the mushrooms and cheese added a ton of flavor. Service was equally as awesome. Our hostess was very attentive and friendly. read more

If you are concerned about Covid-19 then you might want to skip this place (no mask, no social distancing,etc). But if you're tired of it all and want to remember of a times past, then this is the place for you! My husband and I stopped here for a quick lunch on our way to Whitefish, MT. The "indoor" seating is closed and all seating is "outdoors" in an enclosed patio area with a fireplace and heat lamps. So I guess that's their effort to comply with the state regulations, I assume??? Anyway, for me, it's a nice break from the sea of masks. The service was quick and friendly, but the food was just okay for me. I had a grilled chicken sandwich. The chicken was cooked perfect, but the flavor was a bit bland. The onion rings I got on the side were really good, nice and crispy and had a good beer batter flavor. All in all, my meal was fine. And if we pass through Darby again, which I'm pretty sure we will since we love Glacier, we might stop in and try the fish tacos that some were raving about. read more

The prices are significantly higher and they add charges if you pick certain sides (onion rings are offered as a side and does not say it's 2.50 more if you chose them, but it is) My husband ordered just two hamburger patties with cheese and bacon, no bun or sides and was charged $32. The food tastes decent but is way overpriced! read more

I loved this place! Decent pub food, and a fun atmosphere. I love it that they have found a way to survive during the pandemic and still provide great service. My fish sandwich was really good, and sitting in the enclosed patio are was comfortable with the propane heaters. Fun place to grab lunch while road tripping through Montana. read more

Big Cat Cafe - Bars Near Me - Darby, Montana

$20 for nachos with chicken. If the chicken wasn't out of a can or similar it was kept in water similar to Costco canned chicken. cheese was similar to white cheese wiz. they say menu is $10-$20 a hamburger is $23. will not be back. read more

Great food. We started with the pickle fries (delicious). I had a glass of the Irish Death beer and the burnt ends and Mac-n-cheese which hit the spot. Sat close to a wood burning fireplace which was awesome. Highly recommend the Big Cat Cafe/406 Saloon if you are ever in Darby, Montana read more

Food was good. Service was decent. Outside atmosphere was nice. I plan to return and do it again.

When you order $21.00 Fish & Chips you shouldn't have to pay another $6.00 for the chips/French Fries? The fish comes with a small dinner salad and no fries. It ended up costing me $27.00 dollars for the meal. The service and food was good. It was scorching hot inside at 5:30 pm. We live locally and will not be going back. read more

Expensive hospital cafeteria food. Found a hair in our salad. Server apologized and said it wasn't the first time. Place looks nice, but food is not even close to ok. Get to Hamilton where restaurant owners care about food quality. read more

I found myself, quite randomly, passing through Darby. MT. A work trip with a late flight time allowed for the scenic route from Butte to Missoula and Darby was right in the way when lunch time hit. The Big Cat Cafe is attached somewhat to 406 Saloon. They seem to share the common area between the two buildings and have service from both spots. It was a glorious 50 degrees, sunny with a light breeze when we stopped for lunch. The outdoor dining area is clean and inviting. It's honestly the best outdoor dining experience I've had in a while. A large fireplace for winter nights, horseshoe pits in the lawn area, it's really a tranquil spot. I had the 5280 classic with swiss and it was perfect. Chips and Salsa instead of fries - super interesting option, and a cold arnold palmer rounded out a wonderful experience. Friendly staff, even on a busy weekday, wonderful ambience, delicious food - this is the place to stop! read more

Cute little spot. Love the outdoor area they created as the main restaurant space. I have been back a few times so I've tried a variety of things. Love the cheese fries with the bacon on top especially after work with a cold beer. I've also tried a burger-- was good (not great, but also definitely not bad). And my absolute favorite and the star of their menu is the fish tacos. The salsa is also fantastic. I've been getting the tacos consistently and they're good every time. read more

This cafe has a new menu along with significantly higher prices yet it still serves lousy food. I had basil peso salmon with grilled veggies and jasmine rice. Salmon was overcooked, veggies were too and the jasmine rice was plain white rice. Jasmine rice is an aromatic rice that is natural in each grain. This rice had no fragrance or aromatic flavors. When the server was asked about this she said the chef said the rice was rinsed that's why it didn't have the aromas I expected. What B.S. You can't "wash" away something that's part of the rice kernals DNA. Never again will I eat here. Deceptive menu at California prices isn't worth it. read more

Terrible food... whatever you do don't order the breakfast burrito. The service was good, but obviously fake. The ambience was the only good thing. Everything's fried and or microwaved by high schoolers. Avoid at all costs! read more

Prices are threw the roof. 22 dollars for a hamburger. They had a barbecue pizza that four people could share and they no longer have it. It was the only reasonable priced thing there because four people could share it bringing the the price way down for the four people. read more

A very disappointing $28 dollar meal. I ordered a steak dinner with Cheese, garlic mashed potatoes , cooked string beans and salad last night for $28. I called ahead and made order and arrived about 25 minutes later at the restaurant and still had to wait another 15 minutes for my food. Which by the way, they forgot to give me my salad so i had to drive back. either time, not offered a water or a drink, just sit and wait! I grew up working is restaurants and butcher shops in NYC and this would have never happened ! The service was very disappointing. am also 100% Italian and I have to say that in my neighborhood or anywhere in nyc. One would never be served a slice of garlic bread that is made from slice bread. That would be like making pizza with low fat mozzarella cheese. In NYC , it would be embarrassing to serve slice bread garlic bread.! The salad was not good at all, the huckleberry dressing was very sweet almot like huckleberry smothered with sugar. The mashed potatoes were supposed to be a whole potatoes mashed with cheese and melted butter. This mashed potato cup had hardly any cheese and i could not even taste any other ingredient, It was pasty and bland! Totally inedible, Gordon Ramsey quality? I think not! Now we get to the steak, it was okay for a Denny quality steak . It was mediocre at best, not much flavor and kind of mushy. Definitely no worth the price we paid. Also the service was not there! Just want to add that we also ate at the Montana Cafe and it was far superior. Today ordered potatoes, Haystack hamburger wrapped in lettuce and a salad with Balsamic Vinegar. It was amazing and so was the service. The meat cooked perfect. Total meal with drink was under $20, Test Kitchen tip: We recommend steaming green beans before sautéing. This ensures that the beans are partially cooked before we bring in more flavor. Sautéing finishes off the cooking process and adds caramelization-that flavorful browning we love so much. Home " Breads " Easy Garlic Bread EASY GARLIC BREAD Easy Garlic Bread is the best side for any dinner. Perfect with your favorite pastas, salads, steaks and more. Made so easily with bakery fresh bread, real butter and fresh garlic. Easy Garlic Bread Rather we are grilling steaks, baking up beef rigatoni or serving up fried chicken strips, garlic toast is the perfect compliment. It's a family favorite and there's never one bite left! Easy Garlic Bread collage HOW TO MAKE EASY GARLIC BREAD: Slice a loaf of French or Italian bread into 1 inch slices and place on a baking sheet. Melt salted butter in a skillet and finely grate in fresh garlic. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes. add parsley, Brush over bread slices and place, butter side up, onto the baking sheet. Bake for 7 minutes. Turn oven to broil for the last 2 minutes, keeping an eye on the bread so that it gets lightly browned but not burned. read more

Not bad in most areas. Weird hours and closed when it says open. But that my be pandemic issues and major food shortages in our entire state. read more

Have been 3 times , disappointed in the quality of the food or have experienced long waits after order placed . Wait staff ok. Will not return read more

Went twice during my 2 weeks in Darby. Had the fried chicken sandwich both times. Once with chips and salsa and the other with a salad (huckleberry dressing!). Also tried the raspberry churros. All great! Service was good. They were super busy. read more

Local to my town. This place never disappoints me. Try the chainsaw burger and your favorite beer !

First time in Darby. Warm and cozy next to the huge fireplace on a January afternoon. Great bison burger!

Have been to this place several times before as my family lives in Darby and Hamilton. Last time we went in for lunch with my parents and small service dog and had a good lunch so went back for dinner and we're told we would be seated in a momen. next thing a man comes out does not say who he is and rudely says that dog can't be in here until he sees his service badge and then says oh never mind, but they have a large group coming in and we will have to wait. My Mom explained we were there first and told we were going to be seated. This man then says to bad and points across the street and says there a restaurant across the street you can go to. We were shocked but let it go And waited. Then he comes back and said now it's gonna be 25 more minutes and then an hour before we get our food. At this point I confronted him on his rudeness, he then says I will never eat there again, so I laughed and let him have a few words he then said your 86ed, I laughed again. Later found out his name is Jason Robertsand is 20% owner. Sad excuse for an owner who treats people that way and send customers to another competitors restaurant, sure the other owners would find this upsetting but maybe not. Without being thrown out would never visit this place again. What a joke thanks for the great laugh though Jason you are a real piece of work. Lucky I let you walk away that night. read more

Floppy, soggy pizza and the "special" prime rib taco salad was simply pathetic; romaine lettuce, chopped tomato and sliced black olives, it was a Cinco de Mayo special but the prime rib was tasteless and they didn't even put avocado or cilantro or onions (how Mexican is a salad without either?). Very disappointed and we will not go back. read more

Fish tacos are AMAZING! Came back again and had the Big Sky Chicken Fry; epic. Kids have had the spaghetti and the chicken strips; great. Hubby had the meatloaf; fantastic. Came back and he had the chicken Alfredo; excellent. Great food. Great beer. Great service. read more

When my friends invited us to the Big Cat Cafe for dinner I wasn't expecting much other than a nice outdoor ambiance but how wrong I was. The food was delicious. I actually ordered the filet mignon and it was terrific. It was tender, juicy and super flavorful not to mention cooked to my liking. I tried everyone else's food and they were also good. I would definitely order the filet again, and again, and again.... :-). read more

What a nice lunch stop - beautiful covered outdoor seating, perfectly casual for our family, huge kids meals, tasty adult meals too! Wish I had room for dessert, the menu looked enticing read more

This is a perfect spot for first timers or out of towners just passing through Darby because you will never eat here again once you do! The food quality is substandard and not cooked to order but pre cooked then warmed up- if you are lucky- to get it warm. The huckleberry salad dressing is just some oil mixed with a few blue looking berries and a dash of vinegar. Better go for the bottled ranch. It has a great location, a great atmosphere, but the food is just awful. Darbarians deserve better than this. You'll find very few locals there and if you do, they are probably just drinking. I gave it two chances and it failed both times. I asked for salmon cooked with an opaque center. What I got was an over cooked piece of fish that just kept getting bigger as I chewed. read more

My husband and a friend and I went today for lunch in what looked to be a lovely spot with an outdoor dining area. Sadly, not one server or employee in the entire restaurant was wearing a mask. The day we went was August 23 and the mask requirement mandated by the governor is still in effect for employees of restaurants. Very disappointing and disheartening and scary. People, the virus is not a hoax! We quickly decided to leave and went to a very nice restaurant in Wisdom where the staff wore masks, had delicious food and had brains in their heads. We tried every other restaurant in Darby and none of them were wearing masks and we decided to get out of Darby as soon as possible. read more

We recently visited the Big Cat Cafe in Darby Montana on May 20th & I was very disappointed. This was our third visit to the Black Cat, so we expected the same quality. I ordered a deluxe salad & was served a large disk of romaine lettuce with three 1/2 slices of thinly sliced tomato. A small paper container of blue cheese dressing was served , of which i had to order another. But my complaint is of the salad consisting of nothing but romaine lettuce & the 3 slices of tomato. I am unaware if possibly this restaurant is under new management or possibly a new owner, but if I were the owner I would want to know about this. read more